Picketwire Players celebrate 45 years of summer musicals

Friday

Jul 19, 2013 at 1:00 PM

"Urinetown" is an unusual title, but the show is typical Broadway musical with romantic leads, protective mothers, a couple bad guys and lots of heart. The play’s absurdly wonderful idea and quirky characters make a great night of musical theater fun. The play opens Thursday, July 25.

By Susie Sarlo

Picketwire Players celebrate 45 years of producing summer musicals for the enjoyment of the Lower Arkansas Valley and as a means for families to experience performing arts as a community. Picketwire is one of the longest running community theaters in the state and owns its own building. They are proud to continue their tradition with another ground-breaking production.

If you've been anxious for a spectacularly entertaining musical, then you can relieve yourself in Urinetown: The Musical. There's big-time joy to be had at Picketwire Players' exuberant production of the musical, which has a chorus line, a conga line, a Russian dance that could have come straight from Fiddler on the Roof, a revolution, and, of course, innocent romance. "Urinetown" is an unusual title, but the show is typical Broadway musical with romantic leads, protective mothers, a couple bad guys and lots of heart. The play’s absurdly wonderful idea and quirky characters make a great night of musical theater fun.

Urinetown is a silly satire in which a 20-year drought has caused the government to outlaw the use of private toilets. All citizens now have to pay to pee or suffer the consequences, and when the monopolizing Urine Good Company raises the pee fee, the people revolt. Though the plot may be absolutely ridiculous, the madcap score by Mark Hollman, book by Greg Kotis, and lyrics by both are so much fun and purposefully absurd that the show easily succeeds at winning over even the most skeptical of audience members. The idea came to Kotis when he discovered pay-per-use toilets in Europe and wondered what would happen if citizens always had to pay if they needed to use a bathroom.

The absurd premise is used to ridicule corporate greed, populism, government corruption, and revolutionary fervor. The corporation owner tells the people, “Twenty years ago we came to the people of this community with a simple proposition: Look the other way while we run this company the way we see fit.” After 20 years, the corporate owner and politicians made a fortune and the lives of the little people grew more and more destitute until one day they had enough and took matters into their own hands. The results are indignant citizens who express their angst through song, resulting in great musical numbers and tongue-in-cheek dialog.

Tracey Salzbrenner directs an energetic and talented group of actors, singers and dancers to tell the tale of a world where water is scarce and the ability to relieve oneself is limited by the size of one’s pocketbook. Bodily functions seems like an unlikely topic for a rousing musical, but this show is about much more. It radiates exuberance, celebrates human spirit and love, denounces power and greed, and provides for a very entertaining evening.

For more information or to book your tickets, call 384-8320. Urinetown is performed July 25, 26, 27 and Aug. 1, 2, 3 at Picketwire Center for the Performing and Visual Arts in La Junta.